Cotton stripping unit



1956 w. F. SIMPSON EIAL 2,759,316

COTTON STRIPPING UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 10, 1954 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\w\ MENTOR- h IuMM IFS/Mason BY KEkM/r 4. 14am 5 4 9 194,4

Arron/51 s 21, 1956 w. F. SIMPSON z-rrm. 2,759,316

COTTON STRIPPING UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1954 INVENTOR. Q h/ILLMM E's/Mam N BY AskM/r4a0rp flrrokuzys United States Ratent This invent-ion relates generally to cotton shat-vesting -maohinery--"-and=:more particularlyiito the*meehanism" for" -sstnippi-ng the bolls from the a cotton plants "and moving rt-hem -to a central area for-rearward 'conveyalice to 'a transport wagon.

' Traetor rnounted-v cotton strippers are generally 0011- structed with two stripping units'rarranged in transversely sspaeed relation one on each side t-of' the tractori engine andadaptednto :simultaneou'slycstrip the cotton fromjrtwo sa'djacent now'szin t-he field. .These' stripping -.-are.;each soonventional-ly provided with; an elongated. stripper.-.-roll i which rotates on -its'llongi-tudinal axisbesidea strippernbar :to removetthe brills-tfromwtheicottontplants as::,-they:- pass rther'ebetween. i'lrhereiis-alsowprovidedsuitablev conveyor :gmechanisnn-ssuch; as {3115 auger, to conveyzthe stripped cotttonrireai'wardly :in :the. :unitnto a a; place from which ;it;:is

nmoveddateral lyrinward by othermechanism IO; be. united eofttom'fromttheuothencllnit; Imisswithdmp, rin

tthe roonstruetions and operation- :OfJglihfiSfi stripping -nnitsgto penform 2 their wintended-functions that this invention is primarilymoncernd.

ilmheretofore: knownv cotton strippingrunits the & stripper rrollwhas'beenmsposed:with its longimdinaluaxis impara allelism with thel plant :row; asihperforms therstripping woperation; -withithe'roll so positioned-there isva in lied stendency forrthe; plants to bunch mpg in, the -t-re'ar of the nunitwwith resultantlimpairment of 'itsqstrippingaeffectiveness.

' With-vthis' in mind the-primaryobject of our invention A-isntogprovide .a-strippinguninhaving a stripper -rolL-arzlrangeduto keep thevplantstalks-strungoutimadinebe- 4;,

Aweemthewoll and stripper bar asthe plants-are acted .;upon forboll removal :and,prohibit their rcollection in bunohes atthe-rear end ofthe unit.

Another-object of the invention; is tquprovidet a; cotton .rstr-ipping;unit-havinga stripper roll,s,dispos.ed atfran angle 50 to the plant row so as to remove the plant bolls.,wi;th;a rehearing .action:

Another object of ,the invention is t to, v provide a cotton stripping .-.unit with; a conveyor story moving .the .fitljlppfid ecotton= rearwardly. and Will Uh is .so constr cted and ,ar-

ranged relative touthe stripper roll as toweliminatefthe Hnecessityof a cross conveyor toearry the crop ,inward Y .forreceptionxand rearward .removal by thelwvagon elevator.

-.'Sti1l.tanother object of the invention is eto prrovide an improved construction for a oott-on. stripping nnit haying a longitudinal conveyor wherein the conveyor isgdelsign ed .;t0 handle an increasingly greater crop load raising. lengtlrfrom front to rear.

..Still .another object of the present, invention isjoprovide a cotton stripper having a. pairuofstrippjng tr'lplish'ediby a single conveyor. member.

"'Wi'th theseand other objects in view" our invention for -.simultaneously stripping adjacent rows of, cotton in {the 2,759,316 FPatnte "Ans-121,11 95.6

broadly comprises'monntingof the stripperlroll and cooperating strippenbarj in-thecottonstripping unitat asjli'ght =cro'ss-angle -to the longitudinal line of, travel of'theilul' i-t wheteby the pl-ant reeeiving passageway between the roll 5 and 'bar isaat' an'angle rtofthe'rpla nt rowgto causetheiplants to move tbmnghthe passageway in evenly spaced; relation throughout theboll-removaloperation;* Trhe removed cotton bolls-are rcarried-rearwardly in the nnit' by a screw conveyor "having a spiral vane 1 therealong jof gradually l0 increasing diameter -from front to-rear-and"said conveyor having arblade or paddle portion adjacent its rearfendfor laterally diverting thecotton from its-path of-inovement along the spiral-vane. V

The i above mentioned and -still "addition obie'tits of w'theginventionfiwill be :bropght td light during the eonrse ofithe following specification,reference being' made' fi o the raocompanying drawings; inwhioh- I Fig. l is a side' elevation tof the improvedstrippingffunit win-minted (on 'thei left side of a tractor, w-ith the left rear -r=whee1 Ofwthe tractor partially borken-away foria--btter unde rstandingrofiithe invention.

iFigi 2*1is .avseetion ithrougmthe unit taken-on line 2 2 roof Fig.;.1 and showing in plan the' horizontal arrangement wofi'rthe components rof the stlipping mechahismf @Eig. "3i isarfront elevation of the-unit.

' ig 4; :is:.='a' transversesverticalrsection taken on line 14 =Fig.?: 2sshowin'g a=pontion name drivemechanism riot, thdaugeroonveyon 'andstrippenroll.

Referringtnovmmore r particularlyzto 'thewdrawings refert lleq=nllmeralsz zWillJbQliSfid ;to denote *like parts andstrtlc tun-a1 features in the diiferent views. 'aReferning'tfirs-fito fiFligml z the;5 P unit is :indicatedigenerally by uth snumben Bland, isohowfi mountedon a tractor-1'1 havu-rlngt tr at nxletllra thelends tofitwhich; are-.-mountedrrear 3, a-Whj38lSfl3. hegn itziltliextends-longitudin-allylunden and s axl s :imther space; between; ither-tnaotor 1-;13. A unitwlflis normally-mounted raptorfior theisimnltaneonsharvesting e v Q -tontI;oW ver,-1inasmu,bh:asxtnesunits oppos t ly identicalinconstruoti n,: only I E Q Qi L hQW andsdesoribe id c a tone IQOIIlL Q -l'QH wi h? a d r9p;nt g-sqhamben1 ewhigth haw z tit rea qten n nnne ted,to 3 p 4, andbra ketme glhfor su pend n th front end of the beam from the tractor. The unitpoper shes =a nhausin smquntedtons;th 1mm: .:.whi htine1i1des -na ye pat d mis ea .ou ens demll e i na e nos , .t t ri swa ee i the tun hma arbc prov ded with ih ooth-2 .':-H9 YQ ;1l v ar};p I 'PIQ l ,*i tfiQk 9 l- .l avel w ill-:tharn sssnk di closur .qsid sain: th construction and arrangement of the yarionscg pponents l e J1; s ip n andso ia z h s ntt eru [This hani m; a est show tv rsqmptis sia v A as ripps rastr n tlza t251mm;- ate ng: gene al q itmlmal y of tzt ezun t inzz enby asi enflation -1 ..m, 'rnaya a s n-betpw de .rmm strip ernea sn .o e sth this forms no part of: 0

9 18 ia llal il a v the; .aqto tha .thq otton plan s=ni -,b ,rreqe throat 26' provided between the vine s ti lifters he narrow 3 20. The direction or line of travel of the unit is indicated by the broken line LT in Fig. 2.

The stripper roll 24 and the inner face 27 of the stripper bar 25 are longitudinally parallel to each other but spaced apart transversely to provide an elongated plant receiving passageway 28 therebetween. Face 27 and the axis of roll 24 are disposed at a slight angle to I the line of travel, both angling laterally outward in their rearward extension, whereby the passageway 28 which meets endwise with the throat 26 is also at an angle.

Roll 24, of constant diameter throughout its length, has its forward end journaled in a bearing suitably mounted on the unit frame and is universally connected as at 30 at its rear end with a shaft 31, which is journaled for rotation in the front and rear walls of a gear housing 32 at the rear end of the unit. Stripper bar 25 is mounted on the outer wall 18a and extends the length of the roll 24. It will be understood that the roll and bar lie one on each side of the throat 26 so that the plant passageway through the vine litters and stripping mechanism is continuous. A shield 33 (Fig. 1) may be provided to protect the roll 24 from below.

The auger 23 comprises a center shaft 34 which integrally carries a spiral vane 35. Shaft 34 has its forward end suitably journaled in a bearing (not shown) mounted on the unit and extends rearwardly in on a vertical plane substantially parallel to the line LT. The auger is longitudinally tapered with the vane 35 gradually increasing in diameter as it winds rearwardly around the shaft 34. The vane terminates at the opening between the unit housing and the chamber 15 while shaft 34 extends rearwardly on through the gear housing as at 36. Immediately opposite the opening into chamber 15 the auger shaft carries a plurality of radially extending beaters or paddles 37.

An auger trough 39 is preferably attached at one side to the inner housing wall 18, and at the other side to the roll shield 33, and encircles substantially the lower half of the auger. This trough extends forwardly from the gear housing 32 along the entire length of the auger and is tapered in its forward extension to conform closely to the peripheral edges of the auger vane 35. The trough may be provided with transverse bottom slots 40 to allow the escape of dirt and the like therefrom.

The auger and stripper roll are driven from a drive shaft 42 having suitable connection with the tractor power take-oft or other power source. The extension 36 of the auger shaft 34 extends rearwardly beyond the housing 32 for connection as at 43 with the rotary drive shaft 42. Within the housing 32 the auger shaft extension 36 carries a sprocket 44 which is connected by chain 45 with an idler sprocket 46 mounted for rotation within the housing on stub shaft 47. Shaft 31 carries a sprocket 48 which meshes with the chain 45 to be driven thereby in a reverse direction relative to the rotation of the auger.

It will, of course, be understood by observance of Figs. 1 and 3 that the auger 23, roll 24 and bar 25 are all disposed in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position when the unit 10 is mounted in operating position. Also the stripper bar and roll are of conventional construction with the roll having a corrugated peripheral surface, the corrugations adapted to tear the cotton bolls from a plant which is held to a confined path of movement between the roll and bar.

As the unit 10 is moved along a row of plants the plants will be guided by the members 19 and 20 through the throat 26 and into the passageway 28 where they are subjected to the stripping action of the roll 24. The plants will in effect he pulled downwardly between the roll and bar as they pass rearwardly through the passageway 28 to pull the bolls into contact with the roll.

As the cotton bolls are removed from the plants they are tossed inwardly into the auger trough 39, the bottom of which is considerably lower than the axis of roll 24.

The harvested cotton is then subjected to the rearward conveying action of the rotating auger 23 until it reaches the rear paddle section of the auger. Paddles 37 moving inwardly under the auger shaft then feed the bolls laterally into the central chamber 15 which receives the cotton from units 10 at both sides of the tractor.

While the positions of the stripper roll 24 and stripper plate 25 relative to each other are conventional, their angular disposition relative to the line of travel of the unit is novel to the art. This feature increases the stripping efliciency of the unit due to the fact that the plants are necessarily bent over as they pass along the roll to sever the bolls with a shearing action rather than a slugging action. Also the angularity of the roll keeps the plants strung out therealong and prohibits bunching of the plants at the rear of the unit. The feature desirably allows a greater spread between any point along the roll and plant root without increasing the degree of vertical incline of the roll.

The conveyor disclosed eliminates the necessity of a transverse conveyor at the rear of the unit for carrying the stripped cotton laterally into the chamber 15. The auger member 23 as designed does in fact move the cotton both rearwardly and sidewardly with its unitary rotary motion, as the auger vane conveys the crop rearwardly in the trough 39 into the area where it is acted upon by the underfeed paddle or beater member 37.

Inasmuch as the bolls are stripped from the plants throughout the period of plant passage along the stripper roll, it will be obvious that the conveyor trough 39 will be obliged to carry increasingly greater amounts of the crop at successive rearward points therealong. It is accordingly desirable that the trough and its cooperating auger be greater in cross dimension at their rear portions than at their forward portions. The tapered auger and trough accomplish this objective. What is more, the taper may mate with the lateral angle of the stripper roll, as shown in Fig. 3, so that both features may be used without materially increasing the width of the unit.

As heretofore stated the stripping units are used in pairs, one at each side of the tractor. The unit shown is designed for use at the left side. The right side unit would be identical to unit 10 with the parts laterally reversed in construction and arrangement so that such right side unit would also deliver cotton to the chamber 15.

There is accordingly herein disclosed an improved cotton stripping unit which economically and effectively carries out the aforementioned objectives. It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described our invention, what we claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cotton stripping unit adapted to be mounted on a tractor and moved in a longitudinal line of travel along a straight row of cotton plants, a stripping mechanism including a stripper roll and stripper bar laterally spaced on the unit to provide a plant passageway there- 'between, the stripper roll adapted to be rotated to strip bolls from cotton plants passing through said passageway, a trough on the unit extending along and beside said stripping mechanism for receiving the stripped bolls, a rotary screw conveyor extending longitudinally of the line of travel and within said trough for moving the bolls rearwardly therein, said conveyor having a spiral vane which gradually increases in external diameter from the front to the rear end portion of the conveyor, said stri per roll and bar disposed at a lateral angle to the line of travel and generally parallel to the common vertical plane of the adjacent exterior edges of the vane.

2. In a cotton harvester, a stripping unit having mechanism for removing cotton bolls from cotton plants as the unit is moved in a line of travel along a row of such plants, said unit including a forwardly tapering upwardly opening trough extending parallel to the line of travel, a longitudinally extending auger having its lower portion disposed within said trough, said auger having a spiralv vane which is tapered in external diameter from rear to front of the auger to conform to the interior of the trough, means on the harvester for driving the auger to convey the removed bolls rearwardly along the trough, and said mechanism including a stripper roll and stripper bar extending longitudinally in spaced parallelism beside the auger, said roll and bar extending parallel to the vertical plane of taper of the auger vane to lie at a lateral angle to the line of travel.

3. In a cotton harvesting device adapted to be mounted on a draft tractor and moved in a line of travel along a row of cotton plants to harvest the cotton bolls therefrom, a supporting frame for attachment to the tractor, a forwardly opening housing mounted on the frame and having a pair of transversely spaced side walls, a stripper bar attached to one side wall and extending inwardly therefrom, the inner edge of the stripper bar lying at an angle to said line of travel, a stripping roll journaled for rotation in the housing and spaced inwardly from and parallel to the inner edge of the bar providing a plant receiving passageway therebetween, said housing including a conveyor trough disposed beside the roll having its longitudinal axis parallel to the line of travel, said trough tapering in its forward extension for parallelism between the roll and the adjacent edge of the trough, and a rotary auger disposed within the trough having its spiral vane tapering in diameter in its forward extension to conform to the shape of the trough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,716,769 Friend June 11, 1929 2,371,822 Hyman Mar. 20, 1945 2,406,058 Boone Aug. 20, 1946 2,532,065 Hyman Nov. 28, 1950 2,677,226 Hyman May 4, 1954 

